News archive (2009 - 12)

December 21, Minister of National Defence Rasa Juknevičienė met with the Apostolic Nuncio to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia Archbishop Luigi Bonazzi at MoND. Chief of Defence of Lithuania Maj. Gen. Arvydas Pocius and Ordinary of Lithuanian Armed Forces Bishop Eugenijus Bartulis also took part in the meeting.

It was the first official Minister's meeting with Archbishop L. Bonazzi. The Apostolic Nuncio and high officials of Lithuania exchanged views on cooperation between the Church and the Lithuanian Armed Forces in pastoral care, and cooperation between the Lithuanian Armed Forces and clergy in multinational operations.

Money raised in „NATO Wives Bazaar" that took place on November 15 at NATO Headquarters in Brussels among others will be committed for two charity projects suggested by Lithuania.

This year the biggest share of support will be dedicated for the project of charity and support fund „Mamų Unija": procurement of chemotherapy equipment for treating children in Vilnius and in Kaunas University Hospital. The project was given the first place and 6375 Euros funding.

December 21, students from Odessa (Ukraine) Psychology Institute Aleksandra Galkina and Alisa Kabasheva - winners of the „Ukraine and the European Union states: perspectives of cooperation" Olympiad organised by Odessa Scientific Information Center for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation - were received at the Ministry of National Defence.

On December 18, Vice Minister of National Defence Vytautas Umbrasas and Chief of Defence of Lithuania Maj. Gen. Arvydas Pocius participated in the homecoming and decoration ceremony held in Rukla (Jonava Distr.) for the ninth rotation of the Lithuanian-led Ghowr PRT. The event was also attended by representatives of Jonava District municipality, families of soldiers and other guests.

At noon (12.30) of December 17 radars of the Lithuanian Air Surveillance and Control Command registered an aircraft that entered Lithuania's airspace above Šilutė district from Kaliningrad Oblast of the Russian Federation.

According to primary data, the aircraft was a non-military An26 registered in Russia. It stayed in Lithuania's airspace for about two minutes getting around two kilometres into the territory of Lithuania; no permit to enter Lithuania's airspace was issued for the aircraft.

During the stay the guest visited Training Centre of the Lithuanian Special Operations Forces (SOF), familiarised with the structure, tasks, and combat training of troops of the Lithuanian SOF, as well as with tasks conducted by members of the Lithuanian SOF deployed to the multinational mission in Afghanistan.

On December 16 Lithuanian Minister of National Defence Rasa Juknevičienė expressed condolences to the Estonian Defence Minister Jaak Aaviksoo in a phone conversation over Sgt. Kristjan Jalak of the Estonian Armed Forces killed in Afghanistan.

Chief of Defence of Lithuania Maj. Gen. Arvydas Pocius sent a letter to the Chief of Defence of Estonia Lt. Gen. Anti Laaneots expressing condolence on behalf of Lithuanian troops to the family and service fellows of the killed Estonian soldier.

On December 11 Minister of National Defence of Lithuania Rasa Juknevičienė, Latvian Minister of Defence Imants Lieģis, and Estonian Minister of Defence Jaak Aaviksoo met in Riga, capital of Latvia. In the traditional biannual meeting the Ministers discussed current matters of the Baltic defence cooperation.

Defence Ministers exchanged views on the results of the meeting of the Baltic Chiefs of Defence hosted by Lithuania in the end of November. Top-ranking defence officials of the Baltics also shared information on the reforms of the armed forces in their respective countries, discussed points of the NATO Baltic Air-policing mission, development of the Baltic Defence College and officer training, and other topics of trilateral cooperation.

On December 11 Lithuanian Minister of National Defence Rasa Juknevičienė, Latvian Defence Minister Imants Lieģis, and Estonian Defence Minster Jaak Aaviksoo with delegations will meet in Riga, Latvia. The meeting will primarily focus on the points of the Baltic defence cooperation.

Defence Ministers will discuss results of the Baltic CHODs' meeting which took place in the end of November in Nemenčinė (Lithuania), progress of transformation of national forces conducted in the Baltic States, current matters of development of the Baltic Defence College and officer training, and the NATO Baltic Air-policing mission.

Representatives of ISAF troop-contributing NATO countries discussed in the consultations held in Vilnius on December 8-9 military and civilian tools to be implemented in the western part of Afghanistan. Provincial reconstruction teams ensuring security in the region are led by the USA, Spain, Italy and Lithuania.

Participants of the conference expressed hope that in 2010 Afghanistan will see pivotal progress in upgrading security, government and development of the country, additional attention will be paid to coordination of military and civilian reconstruction activities in the country.